MBC Chicago / KBS Chicago Open House on November 23

[kathymbc]

Hi, all! I want to let you know that MBC Chicago and KBS Chicago are having an Open House to show appreciation to all of our viewers.

The date is Saturday, November 23, from 2pm to 4pm at the MBC offices in Arlington Heights. There will be Korean refreshments, games, prizes and the opportunity to mingle with other K-drama fans from around the Chicagoland area.

You'll find details at the Chicago MBC web site here: MBC Chicago Website.

We hope you'll be able to join us for a fun afternoon. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Kathy

[Knov1]

Thanks for the info. It's kind of MBC Chicago to host this for the local viewers. I doubt I'll be able to attend. Making it out to Arlington heights would be tough. I hope everyone that goes has a good time.

[jojo]

No MBC or KBS Philadelphia. **sigh**

[ajk]

jojo, do you guys really not have anything left at all? I thought you at least had that Mind TV thing showing some stuff. That's awful. Maybe we can lobby to get that fixed somehow.

I'm supposed to be someplace else on the 23rd but I don't know how airtight that is. The station's website says it's RSVP, so be aware of that.

[jojo]

The Philly station that was broadcasting K dramas has been showing re-runs for several years. (currently Dae Jo Yeong) I think they stopped showing new dramas around the same time Chicago lost KBS programming.

Alternatively a Korean soap dubbed in Spanish with English subs is available on the Fox Mundo channel, but during the day. Tried that once, but I miss hearing Korean!

[TheBo]

I think you might have mentioned that before jojo (Korean show dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles), or maybe they're doing it at a station here in Chicago too, I don't recall, but that sounds like the ultimate mind...um....game. LOL.

[Ken]

Joanie just saw an announcement for this on 24.5 and I think we'll probably go! Sorry to hear about Philly losing its K-Dramas - We're really glad to have 24.5 & 24.7. It'll be nice to see everybody!

[nuwildcats]

I had to set up a Christmas display and couldn't make the Open House. I'm wondering if anyone here can dish on what "A Surprise" was that MBC's Kathy Watkins advertised on-air. A kdrama star? Homemade kimchi to go? Bag of spicy rice cakes? Please tell, someone ... I'm dying to know if it lived up to its promise.

[Ken]

I'm not sure exactly what she meant by the "surprise" because there was a pretty full program and she might have meant a few different things. There was a group that performed a fan dance, a singer with a very pretty voice, Isabelle Choi, who sang a K-drama theme song (I didn't recognize the series from the clips), some video montages from some of the shows, as well as a few different speakers. There were also gift bags with healthy snacks and free posters for many of the current series. There was also a trivia quiz and a raffle with a lot of different prizes - Joanie and I won a dinner at Senoya, a Korean buffet.
The big surprise for us is that we've been to a number of get-togethers for K-Drama fans going all the way back to The Great Jang-Geum and we didn't see anyone at all who we already knew. It was a lovely afternoon, we had a wonderful time, and you'd have enjoyed it, I'm sure!

Note: Edited to remove quote.

[ajk]

I went. I don't ever go to these kinds of things, but since it was just about walking distance from my house I figured I should at least go and say thank you to the people running the station. Had been meaning to stop in there for quite a while.

Since it was billed as an open house, I figured we'd see some of the functional stuff at the station and meet the management. But it wasn't like that at all; it was a full-blown social get-together in a big room, with entertainment stuff like Ken mentioned. The turnout surprised me; had to be at least eighty people there, not counting the station staff. And everyone seemed very enthusiastic, so it looked like a healthy sign for the future.

One thing did bother me a little: walking into the room and seeing a big banner that said "Korean Drama Fan Club." Gee, that sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it. Of course it's not trademarked but...well I don't want to start any friction over it so I won't go further.

I was surprised that not once did I hear anyone mention this forum during the time I was there (I did get there late; maybe I missed something). I kept hearing people say they were glad to have a chance to talk about their favorite shows with other people....But that's on us, to let people know about the site if they don't already...so maybe if they have another get-together I can do something about that. If there are that many people out there who want to swap comments about the shows they like, it would be good for everybody involved if they knew they could come here and do it between get-togethers.

Anyway, bottom line is it seemed like a real nice turnout and it looked like everybody had a good time. And I did get a chance to talk to one of the owners for about half a minute; very nice woman; the event was so busy she couldn't really stop to talk. I'll stop by and pay her my regards some other time.

[nuwildcats]

Ken, thanks for answering my question and adding in the extras. Glad to hear about what took place. Good to hear 'old-timers' took home one of the bigger prizes. Enjoy!

[ginnycat5]

That gathering sounds like fun; sorry I missed it!

This was on the station website:


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Please note that MBC Chicago Channel 24.5 will air a program about the Open House, including video footage from the event, on Tuesday, December 11 at 10pm.
www.chicagombc.com/